When do 3PLs initiate low-carbon supply chain integration?

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 1367-1395
Author(s):  
Xiaohong Liu ◽  
Cheng Qian ◽  
Shenghui Wang
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Government Regulation ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Supply Chain Integration ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Carbon Supply ◽  
The Social

PurposeThis paper draws on the perspective of social networks to examine when 3PLs initiate low-carbon supply chain integration (LCSCI) in decarbonising supply chains.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey was conducted on a sample of 348 Chinese 3PLs. Stepwise regression was adopted to analyse the data.FindingsIt is found that LCSCI has a positive effect on firm performance. From the social network perspective, a larger scope of outsourcing increases 3PLs' embeddedness, which increases their chance of success in initiating LCSCI, especially for 3PLs with higher decarbonisation capabilities. Interestingly, although the pressure from government regulation can also motivate LCSCI, it is less effective for 3PLs with higher decarbonisation capabilities because they can be too embedded in the network to freely adapt to regulations.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has investigated 3PL-initiated LCSCI only from the view of 3PLs. A dyadic approach which includes the perception of customers would be desirable.Practical implicationsThe results highlight the critical role of 3PLs as supply chain orchestrators in decarbonising supply chains, and the effectiveness of LCSCI as a competitive strategy of 3PLs. Coercive pressures from government regulations are not constraints but resources for 3PLs in initiating LCSCI, especially in markets where the 3PLs have insufficient decarbonisation capabilities.Originality/valueThis study contributes to theories on 3PLs' interorganizational low-carbon initiatives, LCSCI, and the paradox of social networks in supply chains.

Trust, power and supply chain integration in Web-enabled supply chains

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 524-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Mora-Monge ◽  
Gioconda Quesada ◽  
Marvin E. Gonzalez ◽  
Joshua M. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Social Capital Theory ◽  
Supply Chain Integration ◽  
Trading Partner ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

Purpose This study aims to examine the effects of trading partner trust and trading partner power, on supply chain integration, and their impact on business performance in the context of Web-enabled supply chains. In doing so, the authors extend previous studies by exploring this phenomenon by using an integrative theory-driven approach. Design/methodology/approach This study presents a theoretical model grounded on the resource-based and dynamic capabilities views and the social capital theory. Data collected from 175 firms in the USA are used to test the hypotheses using structural equation modeling. Findings Results highlight the importance of trust and supply chain integration on business performance, whereas power did not appear to have an effect on supply chain integration in Web-enabled supply chains. The findings are robust to concerns of endogeneity, common method bias and alternative model specification. Practical implications Companies engaged in Web-enabled supply chains need to focus on increasing their integration efforts, and these efforts must also be accompanied by partnerships built on trust. Trading partners who might be inclined to use coercive strategies to influence other members of the supply chain in Web-enabled environments may be better off using cooperative approaches based on trust to achieve their desired goals. Originality/value This study integrates the resource-based view, dynamic capabilities view and the social capital theory to explore the dynamic relationships between trading partner trust, trading partner power and supply chain integration in Web-enabled supply chains. In doing so, this paper extends prior studies by examining supply chain integration’s impact on business performance and its mediating role, as it relates to trading partner trust and power in Web-enabled supply chains.

scholarly journals Low-Carbon Initiatives of Logistics Service Providers: The Perspective of Supply Chain Integration

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Qian ◽  
Shenghui Wang ◽  
Xiaohong Liu ◽  
Xueying Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Supply Chain Integration ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Corporate Environmental Responsibility ◽  
Logistics Service ◽  
Carbon Supply ◽  
Logistics Service Providers

Logistics service providers (LSPs) are under tremendous pressure in the fight against global climate change. While existing research has examined the operational importance of LSPs in decarbonizing supply chains, the strategic perspective of LSPs on low carbon supply chains has not received enough attention. Motivated by the evolving role of LSPs from a service provider to a resource integrator in the supply chain, drawing on the relational view of inter-organizational competitive advantage, this paper focuses on LSPs’ low-carbon supply chain integration (SCI) and empirically investigates its drivers and outcomes. Data from 124 Chinese LSPs shows that LSPs’ corporate environmental responsibility and customer environmental requirement have positive relationships with LSPs’ low-carbon SCI, and that LSPs’ low-carbon SCI is positively related to LSPs’ environmental and financial performance. In addition, LSPs’ environmental performance is found to have a positive relationship with LSPs’ financial performance. These findings not only provide new insights for LSPs’ low-carbon supply chain initiatives, but also highlight the importance of SCI as a strategic approach in low-carbon supply chain management.

Applying Industry 4.0 technologies in the COVID–19 sustainable chains

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Acioli ◽  
Annibal Scavarda ◽  
Augusto Reis
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Supply Chain Performance ◽  
Chain Process ◽  
Sustainable Supply Chain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Performance ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Research

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is 1) to investigate the effects on the crucial Industry 4.0 technological innovations that interact between the real and virtual worlds and that are applied in the sustainable supply chain process; 2) to contribute to the identification of the opportunities, the challenges and the gaps that will support the new research study developments and 3) to analyze the impact of the Industry 4.0 technologies as facilitators of the sustainable supply chain performance in the midst of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).Design/methodology/approachThis research is performed through a bibliographic review in the electronic databases of the Emerald Insight, the Scopus and the Web of Science, considering the main scientific publications on the subject.FindingsThe bibliographic search results in 526 articles, followed by two sequential filters for deleting the duplicate articles (resulting in 487 articles) and for selecting the most relevant articles (resulting in 150 articles).Practical implicationsThis article identifies the opportunities and the challenges focused on the emerging Industry 4.0 theme. The opportunities can contribute to the sustainable performance of the supply chains and their territories. The Industry 4.0 can also generate challenges like the social inequalities related to the position of the man in the labor market by replacing the human workforce with the machines. Therefore, the man-machine relationship in the Industry 4.0 era is analyzed as a gap in the literature. Therefore, as a way to fill this gap, the authors of this article suggest the exploration of the research focused on the Society 5.0. Also known as “super-smart society,” this recent theme appeared in Japan in April 2016. According to Fukuda (2020), in addition to the focus on the technological development, the Society 5.0 also aims at the quality of life and the social challenge resolutions.Originality/valueThis article contributes to the analysis of the Industry 4.0 technologies as facilitators in the sustainable supply chain performance. It addresses the impacts of the Industry 4.0 technologies applied to the supply chains in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it analyzes the research gaps and limitations found in the literature. The result of this study can add value and stimulate new research studies related to the application of the Industry 4.0 technologies as facilitators in the supply chain sustainable performance. It can encourage the studies related to the COVID-19 impacts on the sustainable supply chains, and it can promote the research development on the relationship among the man, the machine and the labor in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

scholarly journals Achieve a low carbon supply chain through product mix

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (10) ◽  
pp. 2468-2484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Chen ◽  
Xiaojun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Trade Policy ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Channel Structure ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Cap And Trade ◽  
Product Mix ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Carbon Supply ◽  
Trade Offs

Purpose In the era of climate change, industrial organizations are under increasing pressure from consumers and regulators to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of product mix as a strategy to deliver the low carbon supply chain under the cap-and-trade policy. Design/methodology/approach The authors incorporate the cap-and-trade policy into the green product mix decision models by using game-theoretic approach and compare these decisions in a decentralized model and a centralized model, respectively. The research explores potential behavioral changes under the cap-and-trade in the context of a two-echelon supply chain. Findings The analysis results show that the channel structure has significant impact on both economic and environmental performances. An integrated supply chain generates more profits. In contrast, a decentralized supply chain has lower carbon emissions. The cap-and-trade policy makes a different impact on the economic and environmental performances of the supply chain. Balancing the trade-offs is critical to ensure the long-term sustainability. Originality/value The research offers many interesting observations with respect to the effect of product mix strategy on operational decisions and the trade-offs between costs and carbon emissions under the cap-and-trade policy. The insights derived from the analysis not only help firms to make important operational and strategic decisions to reduce carbon emissions while maintaining their economic competitiveness, but also make meaningful contribution to governments’ policy making for carbon emissions control.

Factors affecting the food firm’s intention to control quality safety in China

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 256-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bei Zhang ◽  
Jiabao Lin ◽  
Renhuai Liu
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Government Regulation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Control Quality ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This study aims to examine the factors shaping food firms’ intentions to control quality safety in the context of government regulation in China. Design/methodology/approach Based on 180 usable data samples collected via a survey, structural equation modeling and moderated multiple regression analysis were used to examine the research model. Findings It was found that quality safety capability, corporate social responsibility, collaboration between parties along supply chains and information-sharing among supply chain members have had different impacts on the intentions of food firms to control quality safety. It was also found that government regulation has a positive moderating effect on corporate social responsibility and on collaboration between organizations in a supply chain. Research limitations/implications This research is limited to a particular sample: i.e. the managers of food firms from Guangdong Province in China. Thus, the results need to be generalized to encompass wider samples. Originality/value Previous studies have not explained well the mechanisms by which quality safety control has been established among China’s food firms. This study builds a theoretical framework for the factors affecting intentions to control quality safety by examining issues from the perspectives of food firms and by taking into account the characteristics of food supply chains. This approach addresses the gaps in current understanding and provides practical support to promote quality safety among food firms in China.

scholarly journals Managing social responsibility in Chinese agriculture supply chains through the “a company + farmers” model

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 344-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaoling Fu ◽  
Yuanzhu Zhan ◽  
Kim Hua Tan
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Relationship Commitment ◽  
Agricultural Products ◽  
Supply Chain Integration ◽  
Quality Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chinese Agriculture ◽  
A Company

Purpose Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has received a large amount of attention in research and in practice. As a response to the growing awareness of and concern about social and environmental issues, an increasing number of companies are integrating their supply chains and building an alliance of “a company + farmers”. The overall research question of this study is derived from the literature, and this paper aims to identify factors that influence the integration of the agriculture supply chain and to explore the relationship between these factors and quality performance. Design/methodology/approach The analysis is based on questionnaire survey data collected from 462 Chinese farmers under the organization pattern of “a company + farmers”. A structural equation model is applied in the empirical analysis of the relations among trust, relationship commitments of different types (normative and instrumental), supply chain integration and quality performance. Findings An understanding of the various influences on supply chain integration and quality performance is important in relation to CSR in Chinese agriculture. The results show that supply chain integration has positive effects on quality performance. Moreover, farmers’ normative relationship commitment to the company is positively related to supply chain integration. However, farmers’ instrumental relationship commitment to the company does not significantly affect the degree of integration between farmers and companies. Furthermore, trust has positive influences on the two types of relationship commitment and on supply chain integration. Research limitations/implications The findings provide a theoretical basis and practice guidelines for agricultural enterprises to manage CSR under the pattern of “a company + farmers”. The results help enterprises to acquire detailed information about the entire process of agricultural production, improve the quality and safety of primary agricultural products and enhance the competitiveness of Chinese agricultural products in the market. Originality/value The e-book shows that enterprises working within Chinese agriculture supply chains have a long tradition of working with CSR and supports cooperation between the European Union and China on food and agriculture.

Inhibitors and enablers of supply chain integration across multiple supply chain tiers: evidence from Malawi

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kizito Elijah Kanyoma ◽  
Frank Wogbe Agbola ◽  
Richard Oloruntoba
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Supply Chain Integration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Focal Firm ◽  
Culture Of Fear ◽  
Major Supplier ◽  
Internal Integration

PurposeThis paper investigates the inhibitors and enablers of supply chain integration (SCI) across multiple tiers in the supply chains of manufacturing-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malawi.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a qualitative approach, data were collected through face-to-face interviews across three supply chains, each consisting of a focal manufacturer, a major supplier and a retailer.FindingsThe research identified interpersonal relationships, supplier cost transparency and joint supply chain management (SCM) investments as key enablers of SCI. Concerning the inhibitors of SCI, the study found that a lack of external integration inhibited internal integration by acting as a source of disruption to intra-firm processes and relationships. Further, the research found weaker links between manufacturer–-retailer dyads than in manufacturer–supplier dyads, which constrained the ability to achieve multi-tier supplier–manufacture–retailer integration. The study also revealed that resource and infrastructural deficiencies, a culture of fear and intimidation within and between firms, corruption in sourcing transactions and a lack of inter-firm trust inhibited SCI.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper extends earlier evidence that internal integration is a prerequisite for external integration demonstrating that a basic level of external integration is necessary to prevent disruptions to internal integration.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few to go beyond the focal firm perspective and explore the inhibitors and enablers of SCI across multiple supply chain positions, and provides new evidence on the role of external integration in achieving internal integration.

Decision-Making Model of Network Optimization in Green Supply Chain

2014 ◽  
Vol 962-965 ◽  
pp. 2277-2282
Author(s):  
Cui Zhen Cao ◽  
Guo Huao Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Network Optimization ◽  
Optimization Design ◽  
Service Level ◽  
Green Supply Chain ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Carbon Supply ◽  
Function Coefficient

Network optimization design of green supply chains not only decides the structure and value of supply chains themselves, but also has great impact on the healthy, low-carbon development of whole society’s logistics system and transportation system. Based on carbon footprint theory, this paper elaborates the influence of carbon emission on overall value of supply chain. Penalty function coefficient is introduced to covert a multi-objective optimization problem to a single objective one; three objects, namely, profitability, service level and environmental protection, are thus coordinated. A network optimization model is also developed so as to achieve a green, low carbon supply chain, and to balance cost, response time and carbon footprint. An example is offered as proof of this model’s effectiveness, serving as a supplementary solution to optimization design of green supply chain network.

Role of culture in low carbon supply chain capabilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudhir Ambekar ◽  
Anand Prakash ◽  
Vishal Singh Patyal
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Competing Values ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Carbon Footprints ◽  
Carbon Supply ◽  
Adoption Model ◽  
Research Propositions ◽  
Third Dimension ◽  
The Right

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a low carbon culture (LCC) adoption model for gaining the right carbon capabilities by integrating the dimensions of flexibility or control and external or internal of competing values framework (CVF) with that of level of carbon emission (LCE). Design/methodology/approach This study reviewed literature related to low carbon supply chain, CVF and carbon capabilities to synthesize currently available frameworks for assessing culture and carbon-related insights. Based on these insights, this study proposes the carbon culture adoption model and presents some research propositions. Findings This study has extended categorization of culture suggested in CVF from four categories to eight distinct categories by adding “LCE” as a third dimension. The new categories of carbon culture are: “Red,” “Antagonist,” “Obligatory,” “Early Adopter,” “Follower,” “Transitive,” “Pragmatist” and “Green.” This categorization of organizations would help in selecting appropriate low carbon practices (LCPs). Research limitations/implications This study presents purely conceptual framework with some research propositions which needs to be empirically tested. Practical implications Organizations can formulate right policies for low carbon capabilities based on the LCC of their supply chain. Originality/value With increasing awareness about environment across stakeholders, organizations around the world are under pressure to reduce their carbon footprints. The extent of reduction in carbon footprints depends on the right capabilities across the supply chain which in turn depends on selection of the right combination of LCPs based on the supply chain culture.

Construction supply chain integration: an elusive goal?

2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Briscoe ◽  
Andrew Dainty
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Supply Chain Integration ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk

PurposeTo empirically investigate the problems encountered in trying to integrate supply chains in the UK construction industry and to set these problems in the context of the extensive literature on supply chain management and partnering.Design/methodology/approachA brief review of current supply chain issues in the construction industry is provided. Three case studies of leading construction clients were carried out and these included public and private organisations from different sectors of the economy, public transport, information and communications technology and vehicle manufacturing. A large number of interviews were conducted with the various clients, their main contractors and key subcontractors and suppliers.FindingsThe findings reveal that the large number of supply chain partners and the significant level of fragmentation limit the levels of integration that are achievable. The interplay of environmental and procurement related factors renders the realisation of truly integrated supply chains very problematic and difficult to achieve. Nevertheless the paper identifies some key principles that do need to be followed if the elusive goal of integration is to be eventually realised.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the present cases were chosen to be representative, they may not necessarily reflect the experiences of all clients and contractors in the construction industry.Originality/valueThis paper adds another dimension to the extensive body of knowledge that already exists on supply chain integration. In particular, it focuses on construction, a large and important sector of the economy but one that does not receive as much research interest as the manufacturing and distribution sectors.

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